Replenish the Earth (The Generations Book 3)

by Caryl McAdoo

  The Generations

  a series, volume 3

  REPLENISH THE EARTH

  Caryl McAdoo

  Praying my story brings God glory!

  This book is a work of fiction taken from the stories in God’s Holy Word. Any scriptures quoted are from the King James Version.

   2015 by Caryl McAdoo

  First Edition

  August 8, 2015

  Printed and bound in the United States of America

  ISBN-13 978-1514-8774-56

  ISBN-10 1514-8774-57

  Cover Art by Judy Downs Levine

  www.ArtFelt.com / Lovely prints of all ‘The Generations’ covers suitable for framing are available.

  Inquiries for volume purchases may be directed to Post Office Box 622, Clarksville, Texas 75426. For contact with the author, for speaking engagements, please visit www.CarylMcAdoo.com

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Search the Scriptures

  Coming Soon Titles

  Sneak Peek Children of Eber

  5-star Reviews on

  Replenish the Earth

  Caryl McAdoo has retold the familiar Genesis flood account with clarity and sensitivity. While remaining faithful to the King James Version, the human story beneath the print page comes alive drawing the reader into the pathos and joys of real breathing people faced with the most devastating natural disaster ever known in human history, one which survives in the mythology of every culture and race, but which is most fully and literally told in the pages of the Bible. This reviewer loved this segment of The Generations Series and heartily recommends the whole work.

  --Cass Wessel, multi-published author of devotionals

  Replenish the Earth is the third installment in The Generations series, and I loved it just as much as I did the first two. Caryl has taken the story of Noah and the flood and written it in such a way to capture the emotions and feelings of Noah and his family that leaves the reader feeling as if you are living the story with them and experiencing first hand their trials and victories and the working of God in their lives. This book is a wonderful addition to an excellent series that I definitely recommend. This is an amazing series that has really enabled readers to see these stories in a new and wonderful light. Caryl has really brought them to life.

  --Ann Ellis, Texas reader

  All of Caryl’s Books

  Historical Christian Texas Romances

  Vow Unbroken

  Hearts Stolen

  Hope Reborn

  Sins of the Mothers

  Contemporary Christian Red River Romances

  The Preacher’s Faith

  Sing a New Song

  One and Done

  Contemporary Mature Inspirational Apple Orchard Romances

  Lady Luck’s a Loser

  Biblical fiction The Generations

  A Little Lower Than the Angels

  Then the Deluge Comes

  Replenish the Earth

  Mid-Grade River Bottom Ranch Stories

  The Adventures of Sergeant Socks

  The Journey Home

  The Bravest Heart

  Amazing Graci, Guardian of Goats

  Miscellaneous Novels

  The Thief of Dreams (PG-18 written for secular readers)

  The Price Paid (WWII military, based on true experiences)

  Absolute Pi (audio only)

  Apple Orchard B&B (re-released as Lady Luck’s a Loser)

  Non-fiction

  Great Firehouse Cooks of Texas

  Antiquing in North Texas

  Story & Style, The Craft of Writing Creative Fiction

  Dedication

  I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. Psalm 22:22 I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable. Psalm 145:1-3 …Lord, be thou my helper. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever. Psalm 30:10-12

  And to husband, the lover of my soul along with Christ. No one on earth compares with you, my dear. I could not write a hero like you because he wouldn’t be unbelievable. I love you.

  To my four children—Matthew, Gregory, Cathryn, and Russell—who have indeed been fruitful and multiplied as I now have sixteen grandsugars to love: Michael, Naomi, Mercedes, Seth, Caryn, Anna, Matthew, Joi, Gregory, Wesley, Christian, Benjamen, Keldan, Atticus, Haven, and Wee-Baby-without-a-name-yet-coming-in-February. Praise God for His faithfulness, mercy, and grace!

  Author Acknowledgements

  Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul. Psalm 54:4 I acknowledge that He is my everything, all I need. He abundantly blesses me and provides my needs and gives me the desires of my heart.

  Don’t you love the covers of this series? I do. Father God gave them to me through His good and faithful servant Judy Downs Levine. She acknowledges Him, too, for the gift He gave her and His inspiration. Thank you, sweet Judy! Blessings and favor!

  I give thanks unto Him for you! Judy has beautiful prints of all the covers in The Generations series available at her website www.ArtFelt.com!

  Ron, my beloved. I know you know how I adore you. Thank you for loving me and encouraging me.

  God blessed me with excellent beta readers: Louise Koiner and Cassandra Wessel made many great catches! Thank you both!

  And God’s further (or farther, Lenda? ) provision, my gift and proofreader Lenda Selph! I so appreciate your faithfulness, dear one! Thank you!

  I pray God’s favor envelopes you all and that He blesses you for blessing me! He knows how much help I need, And I know He’s saying of you, “Well done My good and faithful servants!”

  About Biblical Fiction

  (This section doesn’t change from book to book)

  By its genre’s very name, The Generations series is presented as untrue, not real—the definition of fiction is a story concocted purely from a writer’s imagination. On the other hand, Biblical—from the Bible—indicates truth and nothing but the truth! Every Word in the Bible is true. So no question; absolutely set in stone far as I’m concerned.

  Jesus is the Truth. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6.

  Jesus is the Word. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.John 1:1; and again, And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. Revelation 19:13.

  So Biblical Fiction is an untrue, imagined story based on absolute truth. We could assume a writer of Christian Fiction is a Christ follower, so why don’t they all adhere perfectly to the facts? I mean facts are the facts, after all.

  Personally, I get very frustrated with writers of Biblical Fiction who stray from the truth of the Word. Fiction gives them the right to flesh out the story, bring characters we know so well to life, but why do they think they can change or improve the story, that they can make God’s story better? Change truth, you only have a lie.

  I’m presenting this series labeled B
iblical Fiction. Praying imagination enhances the Word’s stories and searching for clues to flesh-out the facts.I will be surprised though if I don’t meet Namrel in Heaven.

  I invite you, should you perceive by the Word that any part of this story is contrary to God’s Holy Book, to let me know where and how. I stand ready to alter my opinion any time it is shown not to line up to the Word.

  Blessings! http://www.CarylMcadoo.com

  Chapter One

  From above, the ladies screamed as the ark rocked. Just outside, the sound of the brace poles cracking shot through the walls. The force slammed Noah and his sons into the door. But it held fast. No water seeped around the edges. Animal trumpets, roars, and squawks echoed in the cavernous ark. But not loud enough to hide the sound of the groaning timbers.

  “Father!”

  “We’re going to die!”

  “We did all this to perish? God, save us!”

  Noah grabbed Ham as the boat rolled back the other way. “No! We will not depart life in this flood.” He stepped back. “Stand still and see the Lord’s salvation! He told me a hundred years ago to build this ark for this very day. For this time. We will not die, but ride above the troubled waters safe and dry with all His creatures.”

  The ark stopped its lurch, paused, then reversed itself. But that time without the force of the first. “Father, what happened? All this because the rain started?”

  I EVEN I OPENED THE FOUNTAINS OF THE DEEP

  Noah fell to his knees then pressed his forehead to the second story’s plank floor and worshiped. A peace settled over his heart. He and his were safe, but the whole world was going to drown. Every other soul would perish. He hated the realization, hated that God had repented Himself from making man.

  What would be left of the valley after forty days of rain? He pushed himself up. The fullness of time would reveal that. Right then, he had a boat full of animals to tend.

  He faced his sons. “See to your wives, then we must feed and water the Lord’s creations entrusted to our care.”

  With each step up the stairs leading to the ark’s third floor, Noah wondered at the marvel the Lord had done. Nine hundred sixty-nine years ago, He told Father Enoch to name his son when he dies, the deluge comes. And now here Noah was—on the ark God instructed him to build—one week after Grandfather Methuselah passed.

  What were the fountains of the deep?

  How wondrous are Your ways, Lord.

  Would he ever understand the mystery of Adam’s God?

  Once inside his quarters, he blessed his sons and their wives as they took their leave. He’d spotted the sadness in Hattimas’ eyes, but waited until he closed their door. He held out his arms, and she hurried into his embrace. “Bless the Lord, Wife. The ark held.”

  “Yes, I never doubted that it wouldn’t. You do all things well, Husband.” She laid her face on his shoulder. A sob escaped, then she wept bitterly. “Oh, Noah…it’s gone…all of it…our –”

  “Our what?”

  She sniffed then leaned back. “Our home.”

  “Gone? What are you talking about? Gone where?”

  She pushed herself away, grabbed his hand, and dragged him to the window. “I saw it with my own eyes. Water poured out of all the windows and doors. It…it just…exploded. The wave that slammed the ark and rocked it so bad—it tore our home to pieces before it hit us.”

  He heard her words, but they made no sense. Stepping to the window, he lifted the latch and opened it a crack. Waters fell from the skies in slanted sheets. The wind howled. But he could still make out where the house Adam had started so long ago should have been. Only a few splintered tree trunks remained. No orchard. No garden. No home to return to.

  “Oh, Lord.” As he stared, hardly believing what he saw with his own eyes, the boat lurched to the right. A gust of wind brought the rain in. He closed the window and turned. “Bless God. His mercy endures forever.”

  Hattimas glared. “How can we…what are we going to do without our home?”

  With both arms flung out to his sides, he walked toward her. “This.” He turned half circles in both directions. “Is our home. The Almighty provided for us.” He leaned in close, putting his lips softly on hers. She hesitated then kissed and embraced him. He smiled. “We will endure, Wife.”

  She closed her eyes, shook her head, then filled her lungs. “Yes, I suppose we will, but I’ll miss the home of my birth, and yours, and my sons. I want it back.” She walked away from him then whirled. “Did you know? I never dreamed it would be like this.”

  “How could I, my love?”

  Her hands went to her hips, and she gave him the look.

  “No, dear. Abba did not tell me any specifics that I withheld. I knew nothing of this except what we’ve all known for years. When Grandfather Methuselah passed, then the deluge comes.” The ark rolled a bit. He stuck out his hand and steadied her. “Forty days and forty nights, then the rain will stop. We’ll live here in the ark while we rebuild.”

  “In Adam’s Valley?”

  “Of course. We can use some of the same rocks, and the quarry will still be there. We’ll replant the orchards. We are not that old, and we have our sons. Ten—fifteen years at most, and everything will be the same.”

  Hattimas wanted to believe him, but how could it? There’d be so much to do. How could he spend any time working on rebuilding the house? Probably more like a hundred years. That’s what it took him to build the ark. She wanted to cry some more until all her tears were spent. Or slap him.

  Or maybe go to bed and sleep. Refuse to get up until it was all over. But she couldn’t do any of that. Her husband needed to see to the animals, and she needed to kindle a fire, get to cooking. At least she had her stove. Praise the Lord, Noah had coaxed her to bring it. Some things could remain the same.

  Her sons and daughters would all put their feet under her table that even, and if the ark would only quit its rocking long enough, she would serve supper. That would remain, her family would eat together. It could be worse. She never cared much for swimming. She moved to him, kissed him again, then pushed him toward his closet.

  “Put on some dry clothes and go feed all your new pets. I must get to cooking.”

  He hesitated, like he wanted to say more, but instead, changed his tunic and marched out.

  That even while her children gathered around the very table Father Adam had built over sixteen hundred years ago, her husband took his place at its head. They all appeared used up, as though they wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed; all save Ham’s wife. Myelin wore a bemused expression that belied the grimness of the day.

  But of the three daughters Father Lamech had brought her from Nod, the youngest had surprised her most.

  While her family ate in silence, Hattimas could not resist. “Myelin, what has you tickled on this horrible day?”

  The young lady grinned. “Oh, it was Lion. Feeding the big cats fell to me when we drew lots. And oh, Mother! I never dreamed…he’s so loving. His mate is shy, but Lion licked my fingers—his tongue is so rough—then pushed his head against me until I rubbed and scratched him good behind his ears.” She scrunched her shoulders, almost looking like a six-year-old again. “He’s as friendly as an orphan goat kid.”

  The young lady’s narrative reminded Hattimas of the stories of Adam in the Garden with the big cat’s ancestor. She still had pieces of the Lion skin robe Abba made the first man the day he fell from grace. That’s what this was. A new beginning, except she would not be Eve. After she had Seth, she birthed a baby almost every decade for two centuries.

  No, the role of repopulating the earth would fall to the three young ladies sitting at her table. Hattimas studied each in turn then stopped at Jemri, Shem’s wife. The young lady caught her staring and offered a weak smile.

  “What lot did you draw, Daughter?”

  Jemri shrugged. “Shem and I have the whole first floor. Fewer beasts, but the size of some of them.” The beautiful girl grinned bigger
. “I never dreamed an elephant was so big, or a giraffe so tall. And they eat…” She closed her eyes and cringed.

  “What, dear?”

  Shaking her head, she wiped her brow. “Oh, I was just thinking about the dung they’ll produce.” She looked to Noah. “The way you laid out the ark, Father, is exceptional. The water system alone is fantastic. I never realized until today how it was going to work.”

  “Praise be to the Lord. He’s the One who showed me the vision. And yes, indeed. I, too, have marveled at its design on numerous occasions.”

  Nodding, Jemri agreed. The last fifteen years had all been so amazing. From the day the giant visited her grandmother’s tent until this, the Lord’s hand had been so apparent on her life. Perhaps even before, if she thought about it. Just like Shem trading away his first choice of the women for Japheth’s birthright, And that again confirmed to her that she was the true firstborn.

  After a bit of talk regarding the next morning’s duties, and an after-supper cup of wine, her husband stood and nodded toward the dining room’s door. “Are you ready, dear? You must be tired.”

  “Weary I surely am, but so very blessed, too.” She extended her hand, and he pulled her up, keeping it in his. Her husband tugged gently then led her to the end of the hall, not letting go of her hand until he reached the rooms he’d prepared. A wave of respect for him washed over her. He’d taken such care and thought of so many sweet details.

  The storm’s roar never abated from its start, but after the ark had obviously been lifted onto the waters, the rolling had lessened, and though it surely pitched, not as violently as in the beginning.

  She slipped into her sleeping gown, and Shem unwound her braids and brushed her hair. “Did you have any idea it was going to be like this?”